Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Some readers think of nonfiction as “what you should read”
not what you enjoy. The best nonfiction
books I read in the last year dispel that notion. Forget the old adage that you
need to read a particular book just as you need to eat your vegetables. Vegetables are no longer grayish green, limp
morsels with no taste. They’re tasty
treats like roasted Brussels sprouts, grilled asparagus, and scrumptious kale
chips.The best nonfiction titles offer delectable
tales that combine information about history, war, survival, health, adventure,
religion, and more with writing that places the reader in the story. These
page-turning tales will inform, amuse, enlighten, frighten, and maybe even
enrage you. Other fine nonfiction titles I read this year are on the annual list. The best of 2014 are:

·In
the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides

·Being
Mortal by Atun Gawande

·Soldier
Girls: The Battles of Three Women at Home and at War by
Helen Thorpe

·Dirt Work: An Education in the Woods by Christine Byl (published in 2013)After
the Wind by Lou Kasischke

·Faith Unraveled by Rachel Held Evans (Originally titled: Evolving in Monkeytown in 2012, reissued in 2014)

·The Twible: All the Chapters of the Bible in 140 Characters or Less by Jana Riess (published in 2013)

The Best Nonfiction Book of 2014 - It's a tie:

In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sidesis
a page-turning tale of the 1879 voyage of the SS. Jeannette in the Arctic
waters north of the Bering Strait where the crew searched for a sea passage to
the North Pole. It puts you on the ship,
in the frozen ice, and deep in the darkness of the Arctic winter during the
years the voyagers were at sea. Sides shows the remarkable courage and thought
that the exhibition commander and his crew demonstrated. I can’t imagine anyone
not enjoying this adventure.Read the full review.

Being
Mortal by
Atun Gawande is a book everyone needs to read yet the
stories Gawande tells make it engaging and filled with hope. This book will
make you think honestly about medical choices and help you ask good questions
about independence and what’s truly important to you or someone you love. Start by watching Gawande’s interview on The John Stewart Show or listen to his NPR interview with Diane Rehm. Listening to his story about his daughter’s piano teacher’s choices made me
stop the car to grab a tissue then immediately rush to the nearest bookstore to
buy the book. The research that people tend to live longer with palliative care
than with many interventions will make you think and ask good questions. Promise yourself that you'll read this even if you have to make it a New Year's resolution.

The Runners-Up:

The Best Book that Explains War, Poverty, and Human
Capital:

Soldier
Girls: The Battles of Three Women at Home and at War by Helen Thorpe tells
the compelling stories of three Indiana women joining the National Guard before
9/11 then of their unexpected service in Iraq. The upheaval in their lives and
their adjustment after will cause you to ponder. This is a fine piece of
reporting that reads like a great novel. Poverty and the increasing cost of
higher education means that our military is changing. Seeing that through these
three women’s lives brings it home to those of us who don’t think about what we
ask of our troops.

One slight quibble: I’m from Indiana so the inconsistent
editing of Indiana details bothered me. Louisville, KY is NOT south of
Evansville, IN, nor is the college in Bloomington called the University of
Indiana (She gets it right twice, wrong once). I’m hoping future editions
correct these minor errors that detract from this phenomenal book.

The Best Nature Memoir that Will Make You Appreciate Work
and Words:

Dirt
Work: An Education in the Woods by
Christine Bylis a straight-talking,
poetic, humorous look at the work of a seasonal “traildog,” a person who clears
and maintains trails in remote areas of National Parks. Byl tells of digging holes, dropping trees,
building stairs, moving boulders,
hauling chainsaws on her shoulders, wearing out countless pairs of
boots, drinking lots of Pabst Blue Ribbon, consuming 1000s of calories, and
crossing streams by slithering along logs on her butt. Byl, traildog extraordinaire, honors her
idols – Willa Cather, Jim Harrison and Thoreau - as she weaves this authentic,
gritty, gripping tale. This woman can flat out write.(published
in 2013)

The Best Book about What Happened on Mount Everest
in 1996:

After
the Wind by
Lou Kasischke tells the story of what really happened on
May 10, 1995 on Mount Everest. Learn why Kasischke survived when many others
didn’t. I edited this book so I’m biased
but even Kirkus Reviews named it one of the best of the year.Read the full review.

The Best Book about Surviving Religion and Keeping the Faith:

Faith
Unraveled by
Rachel Held Evans (Originally titled: Evolving in Monkeytown in 2012, reissued in 2014) I love, love,
love the preface in which Evans lists several things about herself. “People
tell me I exaggerate. I’ve been hurt by Christians. As a Christian, I’ve been
hurtful. I’m judgmental of people I think are judgmental. At twenty-seven, I
almost always root for the underdog, and sometimes I get the feeling that God
does too.” With that I fell down the rabbit hole and adored every minute of her
journey. Read this book!

The Most Reverent, Irreverent Book that Will Make You
Want to Read the Bible:

The
Twible: All the Chapters of the Bible in 140 Characters or Less by Jana Riess When
a kid said “The Emperor has no clothes,” everyone’s eyes opened. When Riess reverently applies irreverence to
her shortened chapters of the Bible she illuminates them in a way that’s
difficult to ignore. Only someone with her knowledge could hone in so clearly
on what each chapter says in so few words. Deuteronomy 18: “Don’t fry up your kids, cast spells, visit astrologers, or talk to the
dead. You’re special, Israel, so
straighten up and fly right.” Pithy
summations make the reader ponder and then perhaps even consult the big book
itself. (published in 2013)

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Historical
fiction is often just a guilty pleasure.
Sadly, many writers unable to imagine their own great story hide behind
history and contrive a story to match their research. But when historical fiction is well written it
isn’t a bit contrived; it’s entertaining and enlightening. Reading fine historical
fiction is like taking your grandmother’s timeless recipes and creating your
own stock from the bones left from your holiday prime ribs of beef and tasting cornbread
made in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. These novels are as satisfying as
anything made with fresh ingredients in your grandmother’s ageless skillet. (My
definition of historical fiction is fiction set at least fifty years ago.)

The best of 2014 are:

·All
the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doeer

·Euphoria
by
Lily King

·Let
Him Go by Larry Watson (published in 2013)

·Lila
by
Marilynne Robinson

·Lucky
Us by
Amy Bloom

·The
Powers by Valerie Sayers (published in 2013)

·The
Sojourn by Andrew Krivak (published in 2011)

Yes,
Sue Monk Kidd’s The Invention of Wings is
missing from my list and yes, it’s on many other “best of” lists but while I
found the abolitionists in 1922 South Carolina and the story of Handful, the
slave, to be compelling, I was less intrigued by Sarah Grimké’s tale. I liked
each of the novels I’ve listed better.

The
Best Historical Fiction Novel of 2014

All
the Light We Cannot See by
Anthony Doeer is a book about the past that is certain to
be read far into the future. This National Book Award Finalist blends the lives
of two teenagers during World War II in a way that absolutely soars. Marie-Laure,
a blind girl, lives in Paris with her father, a locksmith at the Natural
History Museum. He builds her an intricate model of their neighborhood that she
memorizes at home then confidently navigates Paris with her cane. They escape
the German occupation in San-Malo, a walled French village, where her eccentric
uncle won’t leave their house by the sea. At the same time brilliant German
orphan Werner’s expertise with radio transmitters lands him in the Wehrmacht
tracking illegal radio transmissions and he ends up in Russia and then in Sant-Malo.
A sub plot involving a missing diamond brings in more intriguing characters.
There’s old-fashioned magic in this book with its intricate puzzle boxes,
thoughts of survival with dignity, and the power of the human spirit to endure.

The
Runners-Up

Euphoria
by Lily King, Anthropologists
Nell Stone (inspired by Margaret Mead), Stone’s husband Fen, and Englishman
Bankston canoe up New Guinea’s Sepik River to record tribal culture. A 1930s love triangle sets this distinctive
trio on their way to find euphoria. Reminiscent of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Patchett’s State of Wonder, this novel is entirely
unique and will leave the reader unsettled, captivated, and in awe of King’s immense
talent.

Let
Him Go by
Larry Watson, George, a retired sheriff, and his wife,
Martha, head off to reclaim their grandson from their daughter-in-law who’s
remarried after their son’s death in this novel set in the early 1950s in North
Dakota and Montana. The new in-laws, a violent, evil crew, set the stage for a
frightening climax while George and Martha’s relationship stars. If you loved
Watson’s Montana, 1948 or are a fan
of Kent Haruf and Leif Enger, you’ll adore this. (2013)

Lila
by Marilynne Robinson, If
you loved Gilead, read this prequel.
It’s more essay and theology than it is narrative yet Lila and her early life
and the world of 1920s and 1930s poverty as seen through the lives of
Midwestern migrant workers are beautifully rendered and the love that builds
between Lila and Rev. Ames is almost mystical.A National Book Award finalist,
it’s on many “Best Book” lists.

Lucky
Us by
Amy Bloom is a quirky, witty, beautiful novel that opens with “My
father’s wife died. My mother said we should drive down to his place and see
what might be in it for us.” Then
11-year-old Eva’s mother abandons her on her Dad’s doorstep where she meets her
half-sister Iris. The girls go to
California where Iris is in movies until a scandal forces their move to NYC in
a Thelma and Louise-style road trip. Capturing the prejudices and pulse of the 1939–1948
period, it shows that family is more than genetics. Read my full review.

The
Powers by Valerie
Sayers is set in New York in 1941 as war looms and Joe
DiMaggio’s hitting streak seizes everyone.
It captures 17-year-old Agnes O’Leary and her grandmother, the indomitable
Babe, who has cared for Agnes’ family since her mother’s suicide. Babe, a
diehard Yankee fan, knows that her
prayers and powers fuel DiMaggio and the Yanks. The Washington Post’s Ron Charles
aptly calls Babe a “baseball loving Olive Kitteridge.” The narrative grips; Babe
and DiMaggio reign, and the photographs that are imaginatively interspersed
throughout the text make the reader feel the era. (2013)

The
Sojourn by
Andrew Krivak, Baby Jozef survives after his mother tosses
him into a Colorado river in 1899 in the bold opening of this story of war,
forgiveness, and dreams. Jozef’s father takes him back to his Slovakian
homeland where they live as shepherds. Cousin Zlee becomes Jozef’s adopted brother
and their sharpshooting and English language skills move them to the front in
World War I’s stark battles. It’s a spare, Cormac McCarthy-like rendering of
war, survival, love, and forgiveness that was a National Book Award
finalist. It’s sad how few people know
about this great novel. (2011)

Monday, December 29, 2014

Usually I choose one, or at most, two debut novels as the
best of the year but the debut fiction category for 2014 is exceptionally
strong and it deserves a list of its own.
I love debut fiction as it almost always shows the heart and soul of an
author. Sometimes in first novels the
author’s ebullience comes at the expense of polished prose but not this
year. Redeployment by Phil Klay won the National Book Award and Everything I Never Told You by Celeste
Ng was Amazon’s Best Book of the Year Choice. Both are also on my short list along
with five other terrific tales.

·Byrd by
Kim Church

·Everything
I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

·Fives
and Twenty-Fives by Michael Pitre

·Fourth
of July Creek by Smith Henderson

·A
Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman

·Redeployment
by
Phil Klay

·Shotgun
Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler

·We
Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride

I love them all as well as several other strong debut
titles that you’ll find on my annual list so selecting a best of the best seems
like trying to decide which of my kidneys I like better than the other. So with
that not-so-appetizing picture in mind, the winners are:

Best Debut Novels of 2014 – A Three-Way Tie

Redeployment
by Philip Klay is
a smorgasbord of hurt delivered with a one-two punch. Klay’s vivid debut
delivers interconnected short stories that punctuate the Iraqi landscape with
the lives of those attempting to serve. Chaplains, soldiers, Foreign Service
flunkies, and more deliver searing tales
Klay’s pen is a scalpel that cuts through the horror to deliver an
eloquent portrait of a unique war. Every member of Congress and those in the
Cabinet need to read this year’s National Book Award winner.

Shotgun
Lovesongs by
Nickolas Butler delivers the reader into the lives of four
men in their thirties that grew up together in Little Wing, a small Wisconsin
town. Hank stayed to farm his family’s
land and rear his children with his wife Beth.
The others left: one to Chicago to trade commodities and make money, one
to take risks riding in rodeos, and one to become a famous rock star. Shotgun not only captures their lives
and the truth and beauty of life in the Midwest (yet it’s NOT a regional
novel), it’s also funny, passionate and real.
Some of the people I care most about in this world are in their thirties
and from the Midwest and this novel is them.
Still Shotgun is more; it’s a novel with
minor characters and their own powerful stories. The tale of Harvey Bunyan, an
old farmer that Kip, the broker, met at a gas station, reads like a fine Cheever
short story and it miraculously appears just when we need to know more about
who Kip is. The writing chops that make something like Harvey’s story work with
Kip’s are why Butler is a writer to watch and Shotgun Lovesongs is a book you must read.

We
Are Called to Rise by
Laura McBride tells the hope-filled story of Bashkim, an
8-year-old Albanian boy; Luis, a soldier injured in Iraq; and two women who try
to help in the face of tragic mistakes. This wonder of a novel is set in a Las
Vegas no one knows. Only a gifted writer could make poverty, war, and prejudice
this engaging and positive.

McBride
says, “I wanted to tell a story that might make a reader have a big feeling,
the sense that no matter how cruel life could be in a given moment, no matter
how terrible the consequences of a tiny mistake, it was ultimately beautiful to
live. I didn’t set out to write a book
about war or poverty or racism, I just wanted the reader to love a child enough
to feel devastated when that child’s heart was broken and euphoric when that
child got a chance at hope.” Debut author McBride accomplished her goal.

This
year my heart has bled because of what’s happened in Ferguson, MO and other
towns across America and every time I try to think what we could do to make
things better, my mind goes back to We Are
Called to Rise and people who work to improve lives. If ever there were a year when we simply need
to read about a child getting a chance at hope this year is it. Read the full review.

The Runners-Up

Byrd by Kim Church, As
Addie writes letters to the baby she gave up for adoption she slowly reveals
herself and her story. Byrd is her name
for the boy who she’s let soar into a good life without her. This superb debut
novel quietly builds toward Addie’s becoming herself. It’s a wonder! Read the full review.

Everything
I Never Told You by
Celeste Ng opens with: “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this
yet.” When teenaged Lydia can’t be found,
the lack of communication in her Chinese-American family shows that things left
unsaid can damage. By exploring what it means to be an outsider, this tense,
page-turning debut novel makes you read slowly to get every morsel. This is the book I’d give to intelligent
teens who feel that they don’t fit.

Fives
and Twenty-Fives by
Michael Pitre embeds the reader into a group of Marines in
Iraq charged with identifying, disabling, and filling mined potholes. They also
must recognize and cope with the danger and despair of a war that has made
cavities inside each of them and what that means when they get home. This tough read is insanely beautiful. I
wanted to personally rescue the young Iraqi interpreter who reads Huck Finn to calm himself.

Fourth
of July Creek by
Smith Henderson is as gourmet as a book can be. The writing is so smooth it reads like
lobster dipped in melted butter. It’s a brutally shattering tale of families
that go off track without knowing they’re slipping. Pete Snow is a rural
Montana social worker whose own family is a mess. When he meets mountain man
Jeremiah Pearl through Pearl’s son Benjamin who has scurvy and giardia, he
hopes to gain Pearl’s trust but trust is a rare commodity in this strange
country. A brilliant debut! Read the full review.

A
Man Called Ove by
Fredrick Backman, Ove, a grumpy Swedish curmudgeon,
annoyingly tells everyone the right way to do things, won’t allow what he
considers unseemly behavior in his
terrace, and wants to be left alone. Ove’s backstory reveals itself as he’s
forced to interact with his neighbors, the mail carrier, and a cat. I’m madly
in love with Ove. If you loved Major
Pettigrew’s Last Stand, you’re in for a treat.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

The 2014 list of the books I've read in the last year is shown below.The list has one new category: OC: Over Cooked (good ingredients, but overwritten). You may print the list to take with you to your favorite book store or library to make selections for yourself or for holiday giving. If you wish to share it, please share the link to to this post. I'll share what I consider the best books of the year in each category throughout the month of December.

Letters after
each selection designate the book as CC: Chinese Carryout (page-turners, great
for plane rides), D: Desserts (delightful indulgences), DC: Diet Coke and Gummi
Bears (books for teens and young adults), G: Gourmet (exquisite writing,
requires concentration), GPR: Grandma’s Pot Roast (books that get your
attention and stick with you), GS: Grits (evocative of the American south), OC:
Over Cooked (good ingredients, but overwritten), PBJ: Peanut Butter and Jelly
(children’s books adults will like), PP: Pigeon Pie (historical fiction set at
least 50 years ago), S: Sushi with Green
Tea Sorbet (satire, irony, black humor, acquired taste), SF: Soul Food
(spirituality, theology, books for your soul), SN: Super Nutrition (lots of
information, yet tasty as fresh blueberries), and T: Tapas (small bites including
short stories, novellas, essays, and poetry). The letters BC denote books for
book clubs. Asterisks (*) depict the
most outstanding titles in each designation. The plus sign (+) is for books I recommend
as “very good,” The number sign (#) is for books with full reviews on my blog. All
books listed were published in the last year unless noted otherwise.

General Fiction

*Akpan, Uwem, Say You’re One of Them, Akpan,
a Jesuit priest, relates emotionally draining stories about children in
sub-Saharan Africa. “Ex-mas” highlights
the trinkets NGOs give that families sell to buy food. Children affected by war
tell each story thus “a child will lead them.” Mary Karr called this "a new language—both for horror
and for the relentless persistence of light in war-torn countries." T/SN, BC (2012)

*Backman, Fredrick, A Man Called Ove, a grumpy Swedish curmudgeon,
annoyingly tells everyone the right way to do things, won’t allow what he
considers unseemly behavior in his
terrace, and wants to be left alone. Ove’s backstory reveals itself as he’s
forced to interact with his neighbors, the mail carrier, and a cat. I’m madly
in love with Ove. If you loved Major
Pettigrew’s Last Stand, you’re in for a treat. GPR, BC

+Baker, Tiffany, Mercy Snow arrives in a dying mill town with her
brother and sister to claim their father’s land. The orphaned children have
nothing and a terrible school bus accident is blamed on Zeke Snow despite conflicting
evidence. A dose of magical realism and careful plotting make these North Woods
characters come alive. You’ll cheer for them to prevail. GPR, BC

*#Bloom, Amy, Lucky Us, a
quirky, witty, beautiful novel opens with “My father’s wife died. My mother
said we should drive down to his place and see what might be in it for
us.” Then 11-year-old Eva’s mother
abandons her on her Dad’s doorstep where she meets her half-sister Iris. The girls go to California where Iris is in
movies until a scandal forces their move to NYC in a Thelma and Louise-style
road trip. Capturing the prejudices of the 1939–1948 period, it shows that
family is more than genetics. GPR/PP, BC

*Butler, Nickolas, Shotgun Lovesongs, four
men grew up together in Little Wing, a small Wisconsin town. Hank stayed to
farm his family’s land and raise a family with wife Beth. The others left: one to trade commodities in
Chicago, one to ride in rodeos, and one to become a rock star. This debut novel
captures their lives and the truth and beauty of the Midwest. It’s funny, passionate, poignant, and real. Read
this gem. It’s an archetype for a changing culture and Butler is an author to
watch. G/GPR, BC

*#Church, Kim, Byrd, as
Addie writes letters to the baby she gave up for adoption she slowly reveals
herself and her story. Byrd is her name
for the boy who she’s let soar into a good life without her. This superb debut
novel quietly builds toward Addie’s becoming herself. It’s a wonder! GPR, BC

DiSclafani, Anton, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, a
coming-of-age novel set in 1930 in northern Florida and a remote Blue Ridge
Mountain camp, begins with an unrevealed scandal exiling 13-year-old Thea to
the camp. Thea is an engaging character and a compelling narrator yet the book reads
like a soap opera. Horse lovers will enjoy the accurate depiction of competitive
riding. The explicit sexual scenes are
inappropriate for teen readers. PP (2013)

*Doeer,
Anthony, All the Light We Cannot See absolutely
soars. Two stories set during World War II intersect as the war wanes.
Marie-Laure, a 16-year-old blind girl who lives in a Brittany village having
escaped Paris with her father, reads Jules Verne over the radio. At the same time brilliant German orphan
Werner’s expertise with radio transmitters puts him into the Wehrmacht to track
illegal radio transmissions like Marie-Laure’s. A sub plot involving a missing
diamond brings in more amazing characters. This is a war book that celebrates
good over evil. It’s a Natl. Book Award
Finalist. G/PP, BC

+Fowler, Karen Joy, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves is
a phenomenal discussion book about what it means to be human, to grieve, to
separate, to suffer unintended consequences.
The characters appropriately flat affect fits their circumstances. I
found the university town setting and people to be perfect as I grew up in a
similar town only 90 miles away. Don’t read the back cover; let the book reveal
its secrets. Pen Faulkner Winner, Man/Booker
Finalist G/GPR/SN, BC (2013)

#Glass, Julia, And the Dark and Sacred Night,
I loved greeting favorite characters from Glass’s wonderful Three Junes but a terrible twist and an inexplicable
ending ruined an otherwise good read for me. GPR

*Greenway, Alice, The Bird Skinner
is reminiscent of The English Patient. Jim,
a bitter, retired ornithologist, retires to a Maine island after the amputation
of his leg. He plans to drink, smoke,
and live away from people but his scout during World War II in the South
Pacific sends his daughter to stay with Jim for a few weeks before she goes to
Yale and his plans must change. Gorgeous prose and some of the best imagery
ever blend nature, love, regret, and war into something very special. G, BC

+Guzeman, Tracy, The Gravity of Birds shows
how art illuminates and hides truth. Thomas Bayber, one of America’s greatest
living painters, lives penniless in a tiny apartment assisted by Mr. Finch. Steven,
a wayward art expert, and Finch must find the Kessler sisters, subjects of an
unknown Bayber painting, before the painting can be sold. A brilliant puzzle
told in alternating chapters slowly reveals each character’s connections and
history. G/GPR, BC (2013)

+#Harnisch, Kristen, The Vintner’s Daughter,
Sara, the vintner’s daughter, is brilliant at making wine in the Loire Valley
in 1895 but she must move to California’s Napa Valley. This will appeal to
Adriana Trigiani fans. It’s a page-turning romantic, historical story for
oenophiles. Try the audio version too. D/PP/SN, BC

*Heller, Peter, The Painter, Jim
Stegner is a renowned expressionist painter as well as an ex-con who almost
killed a pervert in a bar after the man implied that he’d molest Jim‘s
daughter. Years later Jim does kill and
the victim’s cohorts try to exhort revenge while Jim’s paintings increasingly
show his torment. In our strange
celebrity-driven society, the fact that Jim may have killed enhances the value
of his art. It brilliantly evokes fishing, nature, and art. G, BC

+#Henderson, Smith, Fourth of July Creek is
as gourmet as a book can be. The writing
is so smooth it reads like lobster dipped in melted butter. It’s a brutally
shattering tale of families that go off track without knowing they’re slipping.
Pete Snow is a rural Montana social worker whose own family is a mess. When he
meets mountain man Jeremiah Pearl through Pearl’s son Benjamin who has scurvy
and giardia, he hopes to gain Pearl’s trust but trust is a rare commodity in
this strange country. A brilliant debut! G, BC

+Ironmonger, J. W., Coincidence is
a clever play on the meaning of luck, providence, and coincidence at work in
the life of Azalea Lewis as it traces her through Great Britain and East Africa.
Her mother dies when she’s three and exactly ten years later her adoptive
parents are killed so she seeks out an authority on coincidence to debunk her
fears. CC/GPR, BC

+Jackson, Joshilyn, Someone Else’s Love Story is
both escape and a way of looking at how we become our assumptions. Shandi, a
college student, believes her son Natty is the result of a “virgin” birth. She won’t face that she was raped since she
was still “intact” so Natty’s birth must be the miracle that he is. At a
convenience store during a robbery a customer takes a bullet that could have
killed Natty and Shandi begins to rethink her life and her destiny. You think this page turner is going to turn
out predictably but believable twists make it shine. GPR/GS/D, BC (2012)

+Johnson, Deborah, The Secret of Magic is
set in1946 when Regina Robichard, a new lawyer working with Thurgood Marshall
in the New York NAACP legal offices, heads to a small Mississippi town to
investigate the death of an African-American GI who died as he returned from
the war. Regina is intrigued by a letter about the case from the reclusive
white author who wrote her favorite childhood book. She learns that racism is
different in the south but not in the ways she expected. She doesn’t feel alone in her blackness here
but is wary of the almost magical forces that control the town and its people. GPR
/PP, BC

+Joyce, Rachel, Perfect
is unlike Joyce’s debut, The Unlikely
Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which shows that this writer has guts and talent.
Two 11-year-old British boys wonder about the two seconds that will be added to
the year 1972 and Bryan is sure that his mother has hit a child on a bicycle
with her Jaguar during those extra seconds. Bryan’s friend James tries to help
and the girl’s family initiates a scam.
A separate story of a mentally disabled man intersects in a very clever
and haunting way. The novel eerily
explores perfection and destiny. G, BC

+Kelly, Elizabeth, The Last Summer of the Camperdowns is
a great beach read. It’s 1972 on Cape Cod and 12-year-old Riddle’s father is
running for Congress. Riddle watches a crime being committed in a neighboring barn,
but she’s afraid to report it. The repartee of Riddle and her parents is
reminiscent of Hepburn and Tracy but with dramatic undercurrents. CC (2013)

Kidd, Sue Monk, The Invention of Wings was
informative regarding Angelina and Sarah Grimké, Charleston S.C. sisters, who
moved north and worked with abolitionists and of Charleston, SC’s 1822 slave
uprising led by Denmark Vesey. The
twinned story of Handful, Sarah’s slave, who was given to Sarah on her 11th
birthday in 1803 was strong but the story lagged from their childhood until
Sarah’s actions forty years hence and I’d rather have read the history. PP/SN

+King, Lily, Euphoria, anthropologists
Nell Stone (inspired by Margaret Mead), Stone’s husband Fen, and Englishman
Bankston canoe up New Guinea’s Sepik River to record tribal culture. A 1930s love triangle sets this distinctive
trio on their way to find euphoria. Reminiscent of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Patchett’s State of Wonder, this novel is entirely
unique and will leave the reader unsettled, captivated, and in awe of King’s
talent. It’s no wonder Kirkus named it
the best fiction of the year. G/PP/SN,
BC

*Klay, Phil, Redeployment is
a smorgasbord of hurt delivered with a one-two punch. Klay’s vivid debut
delivers interconnected short stories that punctuate the Iraqi landscape with
the lives of those attempting to serve. Chaplains, soldiers, Foreign Service
flunkies, and more deliver searing tales
Klay’s pen is a scalpel that cuts through the horror to deliver an
eloquent portrait of a unique war. Every member of Congress and those in the
Cabinet need to read this year’s National Book Award winner, G/SN/T, BC

Koch, Herman, The Dinner, two
disturbing brothers and their equally disquieting wives, meet for dinner to
discuss what their 15-year-old sons have done. Why have these boys set fire to
a homeless woman in an ATM kiosk? This disturbingly dark novel will leave you
reeling and feeling like you need to take a shower to rid yourself of its
hold. S, BC (2013)

*Krivak, Andrew, The Sojourn, baby
Jozef survives after his mother tosses him into a Colorado river in 1899 in the
bold opening of this story of war, forgiveness, and dreams. Jozef’s father takes
him back to his Slovakian homeland where they live as shepherds. Cousin Zlee
becomes Jozef’s adopted brother and their sharpshooting and English language
skills move them to the front in World War I’s stark battles. It’s a spare, Cormac
McCarthy-like rendering of war, survival, love, and forgiveness that was a
National Book Award finalist. G/PP, BC (2011)

+# Levine, Jessica, The Geometry of Love, should
Julia stay in a safe relationship or seek more? Dive into this complex Mobius
strip of a novel to enter her mind as she struggles with balancing creativity,
erotic love, and family while contending with the price of infidelity. G, BC

+Mandel, Emily St. John, Station Eleven, a
National Book Award Finalist, looks at the world before and 20 years after a
flu plague kills most. The survivors in a wandering Shakespearean crew preserve
art, friendship, love, and kindness. They’re tied by coincidence and destiny as
is seen in their lives before the disaster. They battle acute shortages, a
changing climate, and a cult that threatens them. Set in the “new” northern Michigan,
this novel makes you consider what you’d miss most in a post-pandemic world.
It’s a compelling, page-turning, haunting, masterful piece of writing that isn’t
one bit bleak. G, BC

*Marra, Anthony, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena is a tough read, tender yet
merciless in its evocation of war and loss. Eight-year-old Havaa is loved
enough to overcome desolation in war-torn Chechnya. Akhmed paints portraits of
the dead he’s too incompetent as a doctor to save and Sonja, a hospital doctor
trying to keep things together, doesn’t need more problems. The “landmine,” the
place where people are “taken,” is almost beyond something the human mind can
accept. The writing makes this soar. Everyone should read and discuss it. G/SN,
BC (2013)

*#McBride, Laura, We Are Called to Rise tells
the hope-filled story of Bashkim, an 8-year-old Albanian boy; Luis, a soldier injured
in Iraq; and two women who try to help in the face of tragic mistakes. This
wonder of a debut novel is set in a Las Vegas no one knows. Only a gifted
writer could make poverty, war, and prejudice this engaging and positive. GPR, BC

+#Messud, Claire, The Woman Upstairs,Nora,
a third grade teacher, exists on the edges of other peoples’ lives yet she’s
angry and the novel slowly reveals the source of her anger. She meets and falls
in love with the hybrid Palestinian/Lebanese/Italian Shahid family. This
brilliant novel of envy, desire, invisibility, betrayal, and emergence is one
requiring patience as it evolves slowly yet assuredly until it suddenly bursts
from its cocoon. G, BC (2013)

Meyers, Randy Susan, Accidents of Marriage is
a page-turning glimpse of marriage and what happens when one or both partners don’t
notice what’s broken. Maddy, a social
worker, knows the damage domestic violence can do but she tiptoes around her own
husband then he drives too fast and Maddy ends up brain injured and confused.
This novel about second chances, healing, facing problems, loving, and learning
to forgive will appeal to Kristen Hannah and Jodi Picoult fans. CC/GPR/SN, BC

+Moriarty, Liane, Big Little Lies
is a delectable tale about friendship and kindness. Yes, it also shows that domestic violence can
happen to anyone and there’s a mystery but it’s primarily a slice of real life
among caring friends – three different Australian mothers who meet through their
kindergarten children. It’s similar to
Tom Perotta in its satirical look at suburbia – even in Australia. GPR/S, BC

+Netzer, Lydia, How to Tell Toledo from the Night Sky, Irene and George are like mythical figures
residing, yet not really living, in the world. Irene, an astrophysicist, is a
star in the astronomy world as she’s just created a black hole in her lab. She’s
isolated herself from her recently deceased alcoholic mother, a practicing
psychic but she returns to Toledo to take a job at the premier Toledo Institute
of Astronomy where George has always been the hotshot. Irene and George meet and fall for each other
but later learn that their mothers had plotted to birth and rear them to be
each other’s soul mates so can this really be love? This is a peculiar read
that only a writer with Netzer’s abilities could make work. S

*Ng, Celeste, Everything I Never Told You opens
with: “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” When teenaged Lydia can’t be found, the lack
of communication in her Chinese-American family shows that things left unsaid
can damage. By exploring what it means to be an outsider, this tense,
page-turning debut novel makes you read slowly to get every morsel. Amazon
named it the best book of 2014. G, BC

+Nicholls, David, Us, a Man
Booker Prize nominee, looks back at the 25 years of Doug and Connie Peterson’s
marriage after Connie tells Doug that she thinks she wants a divorce. But first they embark on a long-planned European
arts tour with their 17-year-old son Albie. Doug thinks of it as a second
chance but he quickly alienates Albie and Connie so the marriage seems
doomed. Doug lays out his hopes and
fears as the reader follows the trip and his and Connie’s past. This is a very
funny, sometimes sad, and always kind-hearted look at marriage and life. Will
the marriage last and more importantly should it? Nicholls, best known for One Day, has been an actor and
screenwriter which shows in the cinematic scope of Us. You’ll alternately cheer for and be exasperated by Doug but
you’ll never be bored. GPR, BC

Oyeyemi, Helen, Mr. Fox was
far too clever for me. While I admired the artful language and the ingenious
rendering of Bluebeard in his many guises, reading it felt more like piecing a
jigsaw puzzle than falling into a narrative.
These fox-filled fables of love and literary striving were too contrived
for this reader. S (2011)

+Phillips., Jayne Anne, Quiet Dell, This
story, based on a gruesome, true crime in 1931, is beautifully written. I liked Emily Thornhill, the protagonist,
Chicago Tribune reporter, but didn’t feel that all her actions fit her or the
era especially her rescue of a street urchin. Otherwise it’s an evocative,
elegant tale about an intriguing criminal mind. PP/GPR, BC (2013)

Picoult, Jodi, Leaving Time
is a lackluster story that’s almost saved by a compelling, realistic teen
heroine. Thirteen-year-old Jenna is searching for her mother who is either
missing or dead. Alice, the mother,
studies elephant behavior particularly mothering and grief - the book’s main
themes. A stereotypical psychic, a noir detective, Alice, and Jenna are the
book’s uneven narrators. Picoult is
known for endings with an unexpected twist but others have used this strange variation
with more success. GPR, BC

*Pitre, Michael, Fives and Twenty-Fives is
a debut novel about a group of Marines in Iraq charged with identifying,
disabling, and filling mined potholes. They also must recognize and cope with
the danger and despair of a war that has made cavities inside each of them and
what that means when they get home. This
tough read is insanely beautiful. I wanted to personally rescue the young Iraqi
interpreter who reads Huck Finn to
calm himself. G/S, BC

+Quindlan, Anna, Still Life with Bread Crumbs,
Rebecca is 60 and is renowned for the photographs taken in her thirties that
chronicled her domestic life. Featured
everywhere, they’ve paid her bills but the money is running out so she sublets
her NYC apartment and rents an isolated country cottage. She uses her camera to
stay afloat as she searches for a new life and love in a world that offers
second chances. Thanks to Quindlan for creating a realistic 60-year-old
protagonist. GPR, BC

+#Reichl, Ruth, Delicious! is
happiness distilled in former Gourmet editor,
Reichl’s first novel -- a foodie romp. Billie moves to New York for a dream job
at Delicious! magazine, a Gourmet-like publication.. When the magazine
closes, Billie is kept on and she finds a trove of WWII letters to James Beard
hidden in a secret room. Puzzles abound
as Billie falls for man known affectionately as “the complainer.” D/GPR

+Robinson, Marilynne, Lila, If you
loved Gilead, read this prequel. It’s
more essay and theology than it is narrative though. Lila and her early life
are beautifully rendered and the love that builds between her and Rev. Ames is
almost mystical. I found the last third of the novel less compelling than the
beginning. It’s a National Book
Award finalist and is on many “Best Book” lists. SF/SN

+Roorbach, Bill, Life Among Giants stars
“Lizard,” an almost seven-foot tall football player heading to Princeton then
the NFL when his parents are murdered. He and his sister and the famed
ballerina next door are all giants of a sort in this coming-of-age, mystery
saga that follows the trajectory of their strange lives. This is a novel to
sink into like a feather bed with its bold, genuine, quirky cast of memorable characters.
GPR, BC(2011)

*#Roorbach, Bill, The Remedy for Love, Eric,
an upright lawyer, meets dirty, disheveled Danielle in the grocery store and drives
her to a remote cabin as a winter storm brews and they end up snowbound. Roorbach
weaves equal parts survival adventure, poignant romance, slapstick comedy, and
brilliantly worded nature scenes in an evocative tapestry to entice even the
most cynical reader. You won’t be able to put it down once you start reading. GPR/G,
BC

+Sayers, Valerie, The Powers, set
in New York in 1941 as war looms and Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak seizes
everyone, captures 17-year-old Agnes O’Leary and her grandmother, the indomitable
Babe, who has cared for her family since her mother’s suicide. Babe, a diehard
Yankee fan, knows that her prayers
and powers fuel DiMaggio and the Yanks. The Washington Post’s Ron Charles aptly
calls Babe a “baseball loving Olive Kitteridge.” The narrative grips; Babe and
DiMaggio reign. GPR/SN/PP, BC (2013)

*Simsion, Graeme, The Rosie Project Don Tillman can explain anything
scientifically even his own spot on the autism spectrum so he’s utterly at a
loss when love intervenes and disrupts his attempt to find a woman to marry via
his “Wife Project” questionnaire. Rosie is the antithesis of what he wants but
could that make her the perfect match?
It’s sheer delight. D/GPR, BC (2013)

Simses, Mary, The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop and Café
is
a sugar cookie, blueberry tart dessert of a romance that will appeal to Nicholas
Sparks and Mary Kay Andrews fans. New
York attorney, soon-to-be married Ellen’s beloved grandmother has died and her
last wish was for Ellen to deliver a letter to a man in a small Maine. Ellen
almost drowns and her rescuer enchants her but her upstanding fiancé and good
life beckon as well. It’s simplistic escape.D

Sullivan, J. Courtney, The Engagements
depicts the DeBeers empire and the history of the “A Diamond is Forever” ad campaign
that made diamonds for everyone as seen through Fran, the copywriter, who wrote
the line. Featuring engagements through
the diamond rings and the people who wore them, it shows how marriage has
changed. CC/D/PP (2013)

Sussman, Ellen, A Wedding in Provence is
a light summer romance. Profane language
and sexual indiscretion abound. Skip this one as there’s not much to it except
the lovely setting. CC

*Szybist, Mary, Incarnadine
won the 2013 National Book Award for Poetry and features the Biblical Mary,
Mary, the author, and simple life settings in gorgeous, lyrical, inventive
poems. A poem shown as a diagrammed sentence and my favorite - one done in a
circle leading to God - form a collection that readers will return to often. T/G,
BC

+Tartt, Donna, The Goldfinch
is a slightly confusing journey of over 750 pages leading to a sublime twelve
pages explicating the meaning of life.
Those pages are as Theo states earlier “the keystone that held the whole
cathedral up.” Theo is thirteen when a bomb
explodes and his mother dies. In the confusion Theo steals a famous painting.
He moves to Las Vegas with his negligent father then seeks solace with kind antique
furniture restorer Hobie who may be able to restore Theo. G with a touch of OC,
BC (2013)

*Watson, Larry, Let Him Go, George,
a retired sheriff, and his wife, Martha, head off to reclaim their grandson
from their daughter-in-law who’s remarried after their son’s death in this novel
set in the early 1950s in North Dakota and Montana. The new in-laws, a violent,
evil crew, set the stage for a frightening climax but George and Martha’s
relationship stars. If you loved Watson’s Montana,
1948 or are a fan of Kent Haruf and Leif Enger, you’ll adore this. GPR/PP,
BC (2013)

+Williams, John, Stoner goes
to college to learn agronomy but literature beckons and he leaves the farm
behind at the beginning of the 20th century. His proper wife turns his daughter against
him and his academic career is foiled so he falls deeper into solitude. This is
a stark, unrelenting classic that begs for discussion. G/PP, BC (2006 reissue
of the1965 classic)

*#Zevin, Gabrielle, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is
a delightful glimpse into a place many of us would love to live – a small
bookstore on an island. Fikry, a 39-year-old bookseller /curmudgeon, hasn’t
cared about life or his customers since his wife’s recent death. When a too-cute-by-miles, 2-year-old is left
in his store, he rejoins the human race. Maya introduces him to others in his
town who care about him and he falls in love.
Dry humor elevates it from the saccharine. I adore Zevin’s enthusiasm
for books and reading and I rejoice in her humor. GPR/D, BC

Mysteries,
Suspense, and Thrillers

Cash, Wiley, This Dark Road to Mercy, Ruby
and Easter are good characters but his first novel A Land More Kind than Home is so much better. If you like baseball,
you might like it. The Crime Writers Dagger Award disagrees with me and awarded
it a “gold.” GPR/GS

*Dicker, Joël, The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair, Quebert is pronounced Kuh-bear thus rhyming
with “affair.” Also think Stephen
Colbert for a hint to this tongue-in-cheek whodunit with a famous young
author’s novel coming to life in a tragic way. It was a mega hit in Europe but the author’s childhood
summers in Maine and the setting give it an American flair. It’s a big, 643-page book you’ll probably
read in one weekend because the twists and switchbacks will keep you flippin’
those pages and enjoying the wild ride. CC/S

+French, Tanya, The Secret Place is
a boarding school mystery seen from the viewpoint of a close knit group of
Irish teens and from the “outsider” detectives that investigate the year-old
case when a new clue appears. Great, believable characters help build the
tension. CC

Grisham, John, Sycamore Row is a sequel
to A Time to Kill, Grisham’s first
book, and lawyer Jake must represent a will penned by a man who leaves his
fortune to his black housekeeper then hangs himself. It’s a nuanced portrait of a racially divided
Southern town in1988. CC

+Hayes, Terry, I Am Pilgrim is
a fast-paced espionage thriller. Scott Murdoch, “the Pilgrim,” retired as one
of America’s best secret agents but duty calls him back when an extremist,
dubbed “The Saracen,” plots to destroy the U.S. as revenge against the Saudi’s
for his father’s beheading. Captivating side stories packed with detail and
great minor characters work well but the book would have sizzled if it had been
100 pages shorter. CC

*Iles, Greg, Natchez Burning, Dr.
Tom Cage, revered as"Atticus Finch with a
stethoscope,” is accused of murdering his former nurse so his son Penn, town
mayor and former prosecutor (who’s appeared in three previous books), tries to
help him and soon finds clues going back to1968 and a
group more evil than the KKK. Reporter
Henry Sexton uncovers ties to the atrocities and Dr. Cage disappears. Is he guilty and is family loyalty more
important than justice? Iles credits the
investigative reporting of true crimes that inspired the novel. This is the first in a planned trilogy. At 791 pages it’s just the right length.
CC/SN, BC

+Krueger, William Kent, Windigo Island captures
the essence of the Ojibwe people of northern Wisconsin and Minnesota in this
chilling tale of young teenage Native girls involved in sex trafficking near
Duluth. Cork O’Connor and a respected tribal elder try to stop the evil. CC/SN

+Mandel. Emily St. John, The Lola Quartet
is a literary noir treat that begins with a teenage girl and a stroller with
$120,000 taped beneath it and follows the money and four members of a high
school quartet in a sprawling south Florida suburb through a web of lies,
music, and fear. This is much more than
a crime novel though as it plots how deceit grows like the snakes taking over
Florida’s canals that engulf everything in their path. GPR/CC (2012)

+Milchman, Jenny, Cover of Snow is a cold, piercing debut in which small town newbie Nora Hamilton searches for answers to why Brendan, her policeman husband, would have killed himself. When the police and her mother-in-law freeze her out and homes are set afire she finds clues in a 25-year-old death, an autistic man’s rhymes, and a reporter’s research. CC (2013)

+Nesbo, Jo, The Bat is the first of the Harry Hole mysteries in which Swedish police detective Hole travels to Australia to investigate the murder or a well-known Swedish woman. He works with Aboriginal detective Andrew Kensington and the great series begins. CC (1997)

+O’Dell, Tawni, One of Us asks if psychopaths are born or bred and forces the reader to ponder the difference between evil and mental illness. Sheridan Doyle, a famed forensic psychologist returns to the coal-mining town where he’s simply Danny Doyle, grandson of Tommy and son of a mentally ill mother. There he confronts buried truths and a cold-hearted heiress. CC

*Penny, Louise, The Long Way Home is a book that imbued me with a feeling of melancholy then peace. This novel, unlike any other mystery I’ve ever read, showed how important it is for humans to feel useful, to be brave, and to be kind. Inspector Gamache doesn’t want to leave Three Pines especially to solve a mystery or, possibly, to find that something terrible had happened to neighbor Peter Morrow. Using art and creativity as a metaphor, Penny shows how nothing great can be created without heart or without feeling. Absolutely perfect. G, BC

*#Slaughter, Karin, Cop Town, Kate Murphy is the pretty, privileged new cop on the Atlanta PD in 1974. Excellent period references especially the playing of Carole King’s Tapestry album in the background set the stage. There’s a cop killer on the loose and another cop has died. The police are racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, woman-hating creeps. They treat the law like a smorgasbord, taking what they want regardless of who gets hurt. Can Kate prevail? CC, BC

*#Smith, Tom Rob, The Farm is a psychological thriller similar to Gone Girl or Tana French’s novels. When Daniel’s father calls from Sweden to say that Daniel’s mother is in hospital as she’s psychotic and delusional, Daniel hurries to Heathrow to fly to see her. Before he boards his mother calls that she’s on her way to London. She says his father is involved in a criminal conspiracy and wants here out of the way. Who can Daniel believe? His mother, Tilde, carefully lays out a tale packed with facts that may or may not prove her allegations. Smith, known for his espionage thrillers set in Russia, takes a new tack with this riveting tale of trolls, elk, strangely carved wood, and the darkness of Sweden. GPR/CC, BC

*Spencer-Fleming, Julia, One Was a Soldier is the best yet in this series. Clare Fergusson, Episcopal priest, has just returned from a tour as a helicopter pilot in Iraq and she’s drinking too much and having nightmares. This seventh title is from the hymn “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God” with the words: “one was a soldier, and one was a priest, and one was slain by a fierce wild beast;” It’s an apt title as the returning soldier/priest and her Police Chief boyfriend are facing a beast that threatens their well-being. Clare reluctantly joins a support group to get a young amputee to attend and there she meets other returning soldiers trying to fight the beast in differing ways. When one of them commits suicide (or was it murder?) the group finds that the problems of Iraq have followed them all home. CC/SF, BC (2011)

Spencer-Fleming, Julia, Through the Evil Days is the latest in the Clare Fergusson Episcopal priest/detective series and it’s a touch long and has too many wintry chases. Crystal meth, jurisdictional battles, child custody, Native adoption rights – it pulls out all the stops. It’s good but after One Was a Soldier hit the ball out of the park – this one pales in comparison. CC/SF

+Stevens, Taylor, Doll, Vanessa Michael Munroe has been abducted to help the “Doll Maker” who merchandises young women and girls. It starts slowly and isn’t as good as her stunning debut The Informationist but it’s still a compelling read if you can stomach the violence. CC (2013)

Peanut Butter and Jelly: Books for Children

*Alexander, Rilla, The Best Book in the World has
bold, happy, imaginative artwork. It conjures other books that children love,
particularly books with bright hues, happy repetitions, and magical graphics. It will make children smile. PBJ Ages 3 – 7

*Aylesworth, Jim and
McClintock, Barbara, illustrator, My
Grandfather’s Coat tells of an immigrant
tailor who makes a special coat then reworks it into a jacket, a vest, and a
tie to wear to a special wedding. It’s a warm family tale with great
illustrations. PBJ Ages 4 - 8

*Brown, Peter, Children Make Terrible Pets, Lucy, a little brown bear wearing pink, takes a
cute little boy she finds in the forest to her home and begs to keep him. Her mom says, "Children make terrible
pets," Lucy loves little Squeaker but he’s messy and impossible to potty
train. The very funny twist on bringing home a pet will make parents and kids
smile. PBJ Ages 3 – 6 (2010)

*Brown, Peter, My Teacher is a Monster, when
Bobby meets his scary teacher in the park he realizes she may not actually be a
monster. Kids and teachers will love it.
PBJ Ages 4 - 8

*Cooper, Ilene and
Swiatkowska, Gabi, illustrator, The
Golden Rule is a gorgeous, luminous book
featuring a boy and his grandfather exploring the golden rule as expressed in
Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and in Shawnee wisdom. It explores what living the rule means and
how it “begins with you!” It belongs in
every family library and would make a wonderful baby gift. Thanks to author John Green for suggesting
it. PBJ/SF Ages 4 - 8 (2007)

*#Foxlee, Karen, Ophelia and the Magic Boyis
set in a museum resembling The Hermitage and Ophelia must save a trapped boy in
a modern retelling of “The Snow Queen.” This
resembles Harry Potter blended with From
the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler. It’s a gem! PBJ Ages 8 –
12

Maclear, Kyo and Morstad,
Julie, illustrator, Julia, Child is
as the author says a story that “should be taken with a grain of salt and
perhaps even a generous pat of butter.”
Would-be chefs and Francophiles will relish the illustrations and
sentiments. PBJ Ages 5 - 10

*Novak, B.J., The Book with No Pictures,
Actor/Comic Novak has penned a book that even boys that “hate to read” will
relish. Having to read ALL the words
will make kids and adults roar with laughter.
Pictures would be superfluous in this winner. PBJ Ages 5 - 8

*Offill, Jenny, Sparky, A
girl wants a pet. “As long as it doesn’t
have to be walked, bathed, or fed,” says her mother. So the girl gets a sloth, names it Sparky,
and tries to teach it non-sloth behaviors. Yes, a sloth is a sloth but love is
love as well. PBJ Ages 3 - 6

*Riordan, Rick, Percy Jackson’s Olympians introduces
the Greek gods with Percy Jackson’s wry, humorous narration that will capture
his many fans. After reading this they’ll be ready for the D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths. A perfect holiday
gift for most boys. PBJ/SN Ages 8 - 12

*Samworth, Kate, Aviary Wonders, Inc.,this
imaginative look at birds, habitats, and extinct species features phenomenal
art and a very clever way of looking at consequences. It won the Kirkus Prize, PBJ/SN
Ages 9 – 12 (and adults)

*Tullet, Hervé, Mix it Up! is
an evocative blending of colors that mix, splatter, and disappear into a
wonderfully imaginative gift. Get out your finger paints and have fun! PBJ Ages 3 - 5

+Voigt, Cynthia, Mister Max : the Book of Lost Things,
Max, a boy in Victorian England, is able to find solutions to peoples’ problems
and be independent after his parents disappear. Toss in old-fashioned storytelling
without gimmicks and you have the first book in a series both boys and girls
will love if they give it a chance. PBJ/PP Ages 8 - 12 (2013)

*Woodson,
Jaqueline, Brown Girl Dreaming,
the National Book Award winner, is a memoir in free verse. It puts readers into
Woodson’s childhood homes and makes them feel her sense of belonging and her
“otherness.” Yes, it will teach children about the Civil Rights era but mostly
it will make them settle into Woodson’s life and help them dream their own dreams. I love it so much that I may have it memorized
soon. The gorgeous writing makes this a must read for everyone. PBJ/G/SN, BC Ages
10 and up

Diet Coke and Gummi Bears: Books for Teens and Young
Adults

+Avasthi, Swati, Split shows
that domestic violence can happen in even the “best” homes. When Jace’s dad
kicks him out he moves to New Mexico to be with his brother who left six years
previously. But how will they save their
mother? SN/DC Ages 14 and up (2010)

*#Avasthi, Swati, Chasing Shadowsis
a graphic fiction hybrid with a haunting, intense, exhilarating story of grief,
friendship and vulnerability set on the south side of Chicago. Hooray for a
book set in a realistic multi-cultural and multi-racial setting. DC Ages 14 and
up (2013)

*#Bassett, Kate, Words and Their Meanings is
the story of Anna, a gifted writer, who has lost her desire to write and to
care about living since the death of her uncle who was like a brother and best
friend to her. Joe’s been gone a year and it’s time for Anna to reenter the
world but can she? This is a wonder of a
story that, like an enchanted confection, inhabits the reader and creates a
magical place where joy and grief can both abide. This is a
debut author to watch especially for her strong voice.G/DC
Ages 14 and up

*Collins, Suzanne, The Hunger Games (2008),
Catching
Fire (2009) I finally read the first two in this series and I agree
with critics that they’re very well written.
DC Ages 12 and up

*Green, John, Looking for Alaska explores
the lives of outsider teens at an Alabama boarding school. Pudge, a new student obsessed with famous
last words, meets Alaska Young, a self-named ball of fire who forces Pudge to
live life fully. Divided into two parts: Before and After, the novel shows why
things can never remain the same. DC Ages
14 and up (2005)

+Green, John, Paper Towns
has authentic characters living the last month of high school in the bubble
they know won’t last forever. Q and
Margo are vessels trying to fill each other but is that the way they should
live? Two very funny road trips will
make this appeal to male teens. Read it before the movie comes out in June,
2015. DC Ages 14 and up (2008)

*Koertge, Ron, Coaltown Jesus
is told in free verse which makes it feel immediate. Walker and his mother live at the nursing
home she owns and manages. They’re
grieving the death of his brother and he can’t fathom “why God took Noah.” Walker prays for help for his mother and a
very irreverent, funny Jesus appears in his room. Regardless of your beliefs,
read this book. Don’t think it’s religious drivel; it’s a wry treatise on
living. DC/SF, BC Ages 13 and up (2013)

+Koertge, Ron, Stoner & Spaz, Ben
is sixteen, has no parents, and lives with his perfectionist, protective
grandmother and his cerebral palsy
makes him feel like a hulking monster . Movies are his escape so when Colleen,
a tatted druggie from his school, plants herself in a seat next to him in a
theatre things change. Colleen teases Ben about his disability and the two
begin to question everything they’ve both assumed about life. It’s a winner. DC
Ages 13 and up (2002)

*Lockhart,
E., We Were Liars is
a page turner about a dysfunctional family on the Cape Cod island they own.
Cadence and her cousins are “the liars” and it’s hard to distinguish if any of
them are telling the truth. Cadence has
migraines and doesn’t recall what happened “that” summer. The riveting, yet
haunting, ending is sure to create goose bumps. Adults are devouring this one
too. CC/DC, Ages 13 and up

+Perkins,
Mitali, Bamboo People
tells the story of two Burmese teen boys on opposite sides of the conflict
between the Burmese government and the Karenni people. It shows how treatment
of ethnic minorities hurts everyone. This would be a great classroom source. DC/SN
Ages 12 - 15 (2010)

Roth,
Veronica, Divergent, I
see why teens love this but the writing didn’t make me want to read the others
in the series. DC Ages 13 and up (2011)

+Simukka,
Salla, As Red as Blood is
reminiscent of the “Dragon Tattoo” books with 17-year-old Lumikki as a tough
heroine. Lumikki means Snow White in Finnish. When Lumikki finds blood-stained
euros in her school dark room her innocent life changes. This first book in a
planned trilogy should appeal to seekers of strong female teen
protagonists. I love her ingenuity. DC
Ages 14 and up

*Supetys,
Ruta, Out of the Easy features
Josie, a French Quarter prostitute’s daughter, hell bent on escaping to Smith
College despite the mob targeting her to repay her mother’s debts. This 1950s
tale reads like Dickens and celebrates books and reading in a unique way. DC/PP
Ages 14 and up (2012)

Van Wagenen,
Maya, Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a
Modern Geek is a nonfiction memoir
detailing 8th grader Maya’s quest to become popular by using advice
from a 1951 guide to teen popularity.
Teens, parents, and teachers will enjoy this. If it had been around when I was 13, my
friends and I would have read it aloud over cherry cokes while wondering if
pearls might make us more popular than actually practicing kindness. DC Ages 12
– 15.

*Woodson,
Jaqueline, Brown Girl Dreaming,
see PBJ section for the review. Ages 10 and up

*Yang, Gene Luen, Boxers and Saints are two companion graphic novels that together tell the tale of the 1898 Boxer Rebellion in China. Boxers is from the Chinese point of view and Saints is from that of the foreign missionaries. Together they speak the truth. DC/SF, BC Ages 12 and up

Nonfiction

*Brown, Brené, Daring Greatly is
a challenging, yet inspiring, way into becoming who you really are. Watch Brown’s TED talk on vulnerability and
read this to allow yourself to become “enough.” We all need to read this book. SF/SN,
BC (2012)

+Brown,
Daniel James, Boys in the Boat: Nine
Americans and Their Epic Quest for God at the 1936 Berlin Olympics weaves
the coming-of-age stories of the college boys who rowed and endeavored to win
Olympic gold. These scrappy boys, some living in hunger, sacrificed for their goal
in a changing world in this compelling tale. I adore Joe. SN, BC (2013)

*Byl,
Christine, Dirt Work: An Education in the
Woods is a straight-talking, poetic, humorous look at the work of a seasonal
“traildog,” a person who clears and maintains trails in remote areas of
National Parks. Byl tells of digging
holes, dropping trees, building stairs, moving boulders, hauling chainsaws on her shoulders, wearing
out countless pairs of boots, drinking lots of Pabst Blue Ribbon, consuming
1000s of calories, and crossing streams by slithering along logs on her butt. Byl, traildog extraordinaire, honors her idols
– Willa Cather, Jim Harrison and Thoreau - as she weaves this authentic,
gritty, gripping tale. SN

+Daniel, Lillian, When “Spiritual But Not Religious” Is Not
Enough: Seeing God in Surprising Places Even the Church, witty,
intelligent anecdotes and logical ideas make this case for church, community,
and commitment extremely thought provoking. I hope non-church goers will read
it. SF, BC (2013)

*Evans, Rachel Held,Faith
Unraveled: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions,Original
title (2012): Evolving in Monkey Town, I love, love, love the preface in
which Evans lists several things about herself. “People tell me I exaggerate.
I’ve been hurt by Christians. As a Christian, I’ve been hurtful. I’m judgmental
of people I think are judgmental. At twenty-seven, I almost always root for the
underdog, and sometimes I get the feeling that God does too.” With that I fell
down the rabbit hole and adored every minute of her journey. Read this book! T SF/S, BC

+Evans, Rachel Held, A Year of Biblical Womanhood
has a great ending and lots of food for thought in this calendar challenge in
which Evans used portraits of Biblical women along with the Proverbs 31
admonishments to embody her twelve principles. It’s honest and refreshing.
SF/SN (2013)

*Gawande, Atul, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in
the End is a book everyone needs to
read yet the stories Gawande tells make it an engaging and hopeful read. This
book should make you think honestly about medical choices and help you ask good
questions about independence and what’s truly important to you or someone you
love. SN/GPR, BC

Goodman, Matthew, Eighty Days: Nelly Bly and Elizabeth
Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World,
Goodman’s editorializing weakens a fascinating tale of the young women’s 1889
journey. Inflated writing made it tedious but the research was exceptional. OC (2013)

*#Kasischke, Lou, After the Wind tells
the story of what really happened on May 10, 1995 on Mount Everest. Learn why
Kasischke survived when many others didn’t. I edited this book so I’m biased but even
Kirkus Reviews named it one of the best of the year. SN/SF

*Klinkenborg, Verlyn, The Rural Life is
a journal-like rendering of a year in American nature. Klinkenborg is the E.B. White of our era with
his lyrical, yet accessible, renderings of the ordinary. The best way to read it is to read the chapter
for the month during that month thus savoring it over at least a year. It won’t be efficient but it will enhance
appreciation. SN/G (2004)

+LeDuff, Charlie, Detroit: An American Autopsy, we’re
probably all going to end up paying for Detroit’s mistakes and if we don’t note
the errors, other cities will be on the verge of death too. So what will make
us pay attention to this city we’d all like to ignore? Charlie LeDuff - brash, wild, annoying, and
sarcastic - might just have the words to make us care. S/SN, BC (2013)

Reichl, Ruth, Garlic and Sapphires: the Secret Life of a
Critic in Disguise, the former NY Times Restaurant
Critic details her life as a critic and a mother. SN (2005)

*Remen, M.D., Rachel
Naomi, My Grandfather’s Blessings,
beginning with the idea that we’ve all been given more blessings than we allow
ourselves to receive, this book helps you notice them and then become a
blessing to others too. Just the ideas from the first chapter led to a spirited
discussion in a group I led. This is very strong (and tasty) medicine. SF/GPR, BC (2000)

*Riess, Jana, The Twible: All the Chapters of the Bible in
140 Characters or Less, when a kid
said “The Emperor has no clothes,” everyone’s eyes opened. When Riess reverently applies irreverence to
her shortened chapters of the Bible she illuminates them in a way that’s
difficult to ignore. Only someone with her knowledge could hone in so clearly
on what each chapter says in so few words. Deuteronomy 18: “Don’t fry up your kids, cast spells, visit astrologers, or talk to the
dead. You’re special, Israel, so
straighten up and fly right.” Pithy
summations make the reader ponder and then perhaps even consult the big book
itself. SF/S, BC (2013)

*Scott, Ken, Ice Caves of Leelanau: A Visual Exploration,
even
if you didn’t suffer through the polar vortex winter of 2014, you’ll want this
stunning book featuring photographs of the exceptional beauty of the ice in all
its manifestations in northern Michigan.
Scott captures the ice’s magnificence and Jerry Dennis’ opening essay
along with meteorologist Ernie Ostuno’s image descriptions make this the
perfect winter companion. SN/D

*Sides, Hampton, In the Kingdom of Ice
is a page-turning retelling of the voyage of the SS. Jeannette in the Arctic
waters north of the Bering Strait as they searched for a sea passage to the
North Pole. It puts you on the ship, in
the frozen ice, and deep in the darkness of the Arctic winter during the years
the voyagers were at sea. Sides shows the remarkable courage and thought that
the exhibition commander De Long and his crew exhibited. GPR/SN. BC

+Taylor, Barbara Brown, Learning to Walk in the Dark, God
puts out our lights to keep us safe becausewe are never more in danger of stumbling
than when we think we know where we are going says 16th century monk
John of the Cross. Chapters track the
phases of the moon, starting and ending with the full moon. Sleep, fear, and
living in darkness are the message. SF

+Thorpe, Helen, Soldier Girls: The Battles of Three Women at
Home and at Wartells the compelling stories
of three Indiana women joining the National Guard before 9/11 then of their
serving in Iraq. The upheaval in their
lives and their adjustment after will cause you to ponder. I’m from Indiana so the inconsistent editing
of Indiana details bothered me.
Louisville, KY is NOT south of Evansville, IN, nor is the college in
Bloomington called the University of Indiana (She gets it right twice, wrong
once). Still, this is a fine piece of
reporting that reads like a good novel.
SN/GPR, BC

About Me - Trina Hayes

Connecting people with books they'll love is what I do. I lead three book clubs and participate in another. I speak about books to library, university, social and civic groups and I'd love to speak to your gathering. My annual book list of the more than 100 books I read and review every year comes out every November. Find past lists on the pages listed below. Because I'm always hungry for good books, I categorize the books on the lists and on my posts by food groups as explained in the review categories listed below.

Contact me with questions or about hiring me to speak at trinabookhungry@gmail.com or by posting a comment on one of my reviews.